Britain will hold a parliamentary election on July 4, which opinion polls indicate will bring Keir Starmer’s Labour Party to power and end 14 years of Conservative-led government.
How is the winner decided?
To win an absolute victory, a single party must win at least 326 of the 650 parliamentary seats. The leader of that party becomes prime minister.
In each of the 650 constituencies, voters elect a local candidate who is usually affiliated with a major political party. Voters choose a candidate and the candidate with the most votes wins the seat.
A hung parliament occurs when no single party manages to secure a majority. In this case, the incumbent prime minister remains in power and is given the first chance to form a government either by forming a coalition or with a minority.
What is a supermajority?
The Conservative Party warned during its campaign that Labour could win a ‘supermajority’, giving it the courage to introduce even more radical reforms than those set out in its manifesto.
In some democracies, a supermajority is a legally defined threshold, greater than a simple majority, required to make major changes to the constitution.
However, in Britain there is no definition of a supermajority that grants governments any special powers and the term has no clear meaning in its political lexicon.
When will the results be declared?
Exit polls are released by broadcasters immediately after voting ends at 10 pm (2100 GMT).
Counting of votes begins immediately and the first results come in within a few hours. Most results are announced overnight and the results are usually clear between 5 and 7 a.m.
When will the new Prime Minister take charge?
Once the overall result becomes clear, and if the ruling party has lost, the prime minister will be expected to submit his resignation to the king on Friday.
The leader of the winning party will then meet the King, who will request him or her to form a government. They will then travel to Downing Street to address the British public as the new Prime Minister.
What will happen once a new Prime Minister comes?
The new Prime Minister will start appointing ministers, starting with senior positions.
Parliament will reconvene on July 9. The speaker of the lower house of parliament – the House of Commons – will be elected from among the members of parliament (MPs).
Each MP will then take turns swearing allegiance to the King or making a solemn affirmation. This usually takes a few days.
The State Opening of Parliament and the King’s Speech, which will set out the government’s legislative programme for the parliamentary session, is scheduled to take place on 17 July, although this date could be changed by the new government.
Who can vote and how?
Voters must be 18 years of age or over on polling day, and be a British citizen, Irish citizen or Commonwealth citizen.
Nearly 50 million people are registered to vote. Voting centers are open from 7am to 10pm (0600-2100 GMT). Votes can be cast in person, by post or through proxy.
Voters will be required to carry photo ID with them to vote, the first national election in which this has been made mandatory.
British citizens overseas will also get the right to vote, no matter how long they have been living outside the country.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
